The legend of Popocatepetl
Popocatépetl from near the summit of Iztaccíhuatl.Iztaccíhuatl’s father sent Popocatepetl to war in Oaxaca, promising him his daughter as his wife if he returned (which Iztaccíhuatl’s father presumed he would not). Iztaccíhuatl’s father told her that her lover had fallen in battle and she died of grief. When Popocatépetl returned, and discovered the death of his lover, he committed suicide by plunging a dagger through his heart. God covered them with snow and changed them into mountains. Iztac cíhuatl’s mountain was called “La Mujer Dormida, (the “Sleeping Woman”), because it bears a resemblance to a woman sleeping on her back. Popocatépetl became the volcano Popocatépetl, raining fire on Earth in blind rage at the loss of his beloved.

VOLCANIC ALERT: Mexico 17 April 2012 Mexico’s National Center for Disaster Prevention raised the alert on the Popocatpetl volcano by one level to “yellow phase three” from “yellow phase two.” Increased activity at the volcano, located 50 mi/80 km southeast of Mexico City, prompted the alert. Notably, the volcano’s lava dome has expanded, and it has emitted fragments of rock. Increasing activity at the volcano has been reported over the course of 2012, and authorities are concerned the change in activity may prompt larger explosions, magma expulsions or ash showers. Yellow phase three represents the third-highest level on a seven-point scale.